Ghost Town
To Cruz's surprise, dinner turned out to be a less lavish affair than lunch. There were sardines on toast and a clear soup, followed by grilled trout and a choice of two main dishes: roast chicken and a beef stew that Cruz identified as Boeuf Bourguignon.
There also was plenty of good wine. Cruz restrained himself and just dipped his lips, but Susanto let himself go. He matched Jelly glass for glass and the two of them went through two bottles of white before they were done with the fish.
Susanto struck halfway through the main course. Having chased down a hefty forkful of the beef stew with an equally hefty gulp of red wine, he said:
"You know, Jelly, that contract of yours. There's a clause there we don't like. The final clause, with all this talk of punishment and death. It strikes the wrong note. Some things are better left unsaid. You know what I mean? So we'd like you to remove that clause. From the contract."